


Salmon Meunière

by oneill



Category: Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 09:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/951472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneill/pseuds/oneill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the fic_promptly prompt: The Cat Returns, The Baron and Muta, he's surprisingly handy in the kitchen</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salmon Meunière

As the baron opened the door to the bureau, he heard Muta call from the kitchen: "Good timing. Where's the butter?"

"Butter?"

"You've got some, right?"

The baron set his parcel on the tea cabinet, hung up his hat and cane, and said, "It's in the butter crock, of course."

"Obviously. Where's _that_?"

"Bottom-right, beside the flour."

"Oh, good. I was gonna ask about that next," Muta said, opening the cupboard to lift them both down.

The baron pulled off his jacket and peeked over the counter. Two salmon fillets lay on a cutting board, their flesh gleaming like rubies.

"Meunière, is it?" he said. "Do I want to know where you got the salmon?"

Muta slit his eyes and grinned, flashing one cheeky fang. "Around."

Muta had plenty of families that set out food for him, but the baron doubted any of them were generous enough to give him such a beautiful cut of fish. Ah, well. He had no idea where Muta had stolen them from, and even if he had, he could hardly return them now.

At least Toto was still out tying up loose ends from their last case. The baron was too tired to mediate a fight right now.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"Nah, I got this."

Muta already had the fillets seasoned, dredged, and frying in butter, and half a dozen new potatoes were boiling vigorously in the pot beside them. The baron sat down at the dining table and sighed as the chair took his weight. The chorus of bubbling, sizzling, and scraping from the kitchen was surprisingly soothing.

Muta tipped the pan to spoon butter over the fillets and said, "You hear from Haru lately?"

"She stopped by for tea the other day. Apparently her lacrosse team took third in the regionals."

"So she's still got a ways to go."

"You're awfully strict when it comes to other people."

"I've just got high expectations," said Muta. He perused the wine rack for a long while before pulling out the best bottle of white.

"Hm." The baron sniffed the fragrant air. "I didn't think I had any rosemary. Or lemons, for that matter."

"You didn't."

"Do I want to know where you got those?"

"Around."

The meunière tasted even better than it smelled, and the potatoes somehow conspired to be creamy and fluffy at the same time. Muta poured a glass of wine for each of them before he sat down to his own plate.

"This should go without saying, but you're on dessert, Baron."

A chuckle slipped out before the baron could stifle it. "I picked up a Mont Blanc cake on the way home," he said, raising his glass.


End file.
